


Who Needs Memories Anyway

by wordmuncher200



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, WandaVision (TV), X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies), X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: Amnesia, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Multiverse, Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-23
Packaged: 2021-03-27 04:53:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30117423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordmuncher200/pseuds/wordmuncher200
Summary: He woke up in a pile of straw, in the middle of some weird Ghost Town (Pumpkins included) dressed as some kind of bizarro Jack Frost? He had no idea what to think. And oh yeah, he can't remember a thing about who he is and his life beforehand. All he knows is that this isn't his home and he needs to find a way out ASAP.Fix-it fic of sorts, set during episodes 6-9. Starts right after Wanda gets angry and blasts 'Fietro' into those Hay bales.
Relationships: Billy Kaplan & Pietro Maximoff & Tommy Shepherd, Pietro Maximoff & Monica Rambeau, Pietro Maximoff & Wanda Maximoff
Comments: 12
Kudos: 68





	1. So much damn straw

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! this is my first fic so any advice, literally anything, would be much appreciated. This is kind of a Fix-it, I say 'kind of' because I might expand it beyond the end of the show, but I'm not sure yet. But yes, the WandaVision final was so disappointing that I was finally compelled into writing my own conclusion. 
> 
> Sorry for any typos, I've tried my best to edit, but I often miss things.

The first thing he consciously noticed was that: a. his nose was itchy, and b. his back really really hurt.

And of course, presented with this information, his first plan of action was to try to sit up as fast as possible. Naturally, as with cause and effect, a sharp twinge of electric pain ran right down his spine, resulting in an inevitable **"Arghhh!!"** which escaped his mouth through gritted teeth.

After a few moments in the fetal position wallowing in self-pity, the pain starts to gently subside. He cautiously uncurled, still cradling his side tenderly.

With some amount of thought this time, he decides to attempt 'plan sit-up 2.0' however, this time with a new strategy: do it slowly. ' _Huh, That’s weird, I don’t usually do anything slowly.'_ The stray thought runs through his mind so fast he barely has time to register it ’ 

He frowns at this, confused as to what he was thinking. Yet, he lacked the motive to give any of his thoughts more than a moment's notice. With this new prerogative in mind, he managed to sit up slowly and shift tenderly into a precarious sitting position.

Blinking, the world around him gradually comes into focus. His vision is still slightly blurry, but thankfully it was showing signs of increasing clarity with each subsequent blink. His ears are ringing too, making it hard to focus on anything. He shakes his head in an attempt to pop them, and thank god, the ringing gradually dulls into something resembling an annoying hum.

That’s when he notices that he’s covered in straw. _‘What the heck?_ ’

His right-hand moves to remove the straw from his lap and his torso. Whilst shaking his head lightly the straw flings off of him haphazardly. He then moves to pull the little bits from his tangled hair.

**"Damn, this stuff is everywhere.”**

Those are the first words he’s muttered aloud since he woke up, bringing to his attention how dry his throat is.

 **"Some water would be nice"** he speaks aloud again, this time testing his voice, which seems to be getting stronger. He sighs.

After gathering himself, he begins to take in the environment around him properly for the first time. From this, he realizes that he’s sitting in a large, messy pile of straw. (No big surprise there since he's covered in the stuff) Not only that, but he's also smack-dab in the middle of what appears to some kind of weird ghost town. He dubs it a ghost town because, firstly, there are ghost decorations everywhere, and secondly, there was not a single person in sight. Like, literally. An actual ghost town. 

**“Huh, must be Halloween?"** He guesses.

Looking around further, he notices that there was a big screen playing an old black and white movie to his side. Lights were draped across the roofs of surrounding buildings, and there were remnants of footprints in the muddy grass. Which to him would all indicate some kind of Halloween celebration. Not to mentions the excessive use of pumpkins. Yet, there wasn't a person in sight.

**"Usually, I would have loved this kind of thing, crazy decorations, candy, and the perfect opportunity to scare people, but this seems a bit of an overkill in the creepy department"**

That statement brings a frown to his face.

**"At least I think I would have loved it."**

Actually, thinking about it, he can’t really remember much of Halloween. He seems to have this gut instinct telling him that he likes Halloween. I mean who doesn't love Halloween? But he can't actually remember the holiday. At least, he can't remember himself ever participating. He can remember what it's supposed to be like, the costumes, the candy, etcetera etcetera. But not with him participating. He can't even remember where he learned the information he currently knows about Halloween.

In fact, he can't really remember much of anything at the moment. His head is still kinda fuzzy. ' _It’s probably just a concussion or something'_ he thinks, judging by how he felt when he woke up that wouldn't surprise him. Besides, he's got other things to worry about at the moment. Like finding out where the hell he actually is.

Looking around again, his eyes search for someone or something in this deserted town that would give him a clue as to where he is. But if anything, he's even more confused now. There are a few shops in the distance, and what seems to be a movie house. Yet, the movies that are being shown are none that he's ever heard of; _'the parent trap? sounds dark..._ ' He can’t hear anything either, not a single ambient sound, not even an insect, or barking dog. Which when you think about it, is just darn creepy. He tries to suppress an involuntary shudder.

At this, he notices how cold it is for the first time. As if realizing the gravity of the situation for the first time he starts to panic and his breathing starts to increase. He feels the hyperventilating breaths begin as his face heats up. He notices a sick feeling in his stomach as and his vision becomes a bit blurry again. 

**“Okay, Okay, stay calm."** He takes several big breaths, trying to calm himself down. Panicking will get him nowhere.

Taking in another deep breath, he composes himself.

**"Think dammit, what’s the first thing you’re supposed to do when you are lost?”**

He tries to think for a second. Two seconds... Three seconds... Oh shit, his mind was completely blank. He starts panicking slightly again. 

**“I have no freaking idea!”** He shouts into the empty town square. He couldn’t even remember how he got here, let alone what survival steps to take when you wake up in a weird deserted town, dressed like some bizarro jack frost? _What the hell am I wearing anyway._ He thinks, noticing his clothes for the first time. Strangely the adrenalin pumping through his veins seems to bring him some semblance of clarity and calm. 

**“Focus man, that’s a question for later. Let’s take small steps.”** Sighing, he centers himself. Thankfully with this, he manages to get his breathing under control. **"Okay, what information do I have?”** He speaks to no one but himself.

 **"I know I’m in some kinda creepy town."** He pauses looking around.

 **"It’s nighttime, and there’s not a person in sight. Which is so creepy by the way.** **Also, It’s Halloween. At least I think it is, It could be that the people who live here are apart of some kind of Halloween-themed cult, which hey, I don't judge, but the fact that there are loads of skulls and ghosts hanging around here gives me the impression that this wouldn't be the good kind of cult, more likely a 'freaky kinda cult.' What would they be worshiping anyway, ghosts? do cults worship ghosts? come to think about it I actually have no idea what cults do, maybe they..."** He stops himself abruptly mid-ramble and shakes his head. Okay, so the adrenalin seems to have kicked his mind into overdrive. Weirdly, It felt like his mind was moving at a million miles per second, which was quite a change from how he felt earlier

 **"What the heck am I even thinking, I doubt a freaky cult would have quite so many pumpkins laying about."**

_It's not a cult you idiot._ He chastises himself internally. He directs his thoughts back to the present and tries to be rational this time. 

**"You're just in a normal town okay? It's just freaky because it's nighttime and you can't hear anything because everyone is probably at home. Everything here is completely normal, yup sooo normal. There is probably a very logical explanation for why you woke up with no memory, facedown in a pile of straw."** Then a thought hit him. 

_Oh shit, have I been drinking?_

He considered this for a moment.

No, he surmised, it wasn't likely, this felt very different.

 **"Besides I can't get drunk"** he mutters intuitively.

Again, that was a weird thing to say. He can't remember why he would think that he can't get drunk? Again, he knows what being drunk is, but he couldn't remember having ever gotten drunk. He assumes that this lapse in memory is probably due to the same reason that he can't remember any of his past Halloween nights.

He sat for a moment trying to plan his next move. The night was getting increasingly eerie. He'd have to get up soon and do some proper investigating. Standing up with much more ease than it took him to sit up, he dusts off the remaining bits of straw that still clung to his shirt. After this, he decides that the best thing he can do now is walk towards the town hall, there was a road heading up past it, and In the distance, he thought he could see some residential houses. Maybe he could find some people there. 

**"I'll go knock on a couple of doors, and ask to use their phone. Easy enough."**

_Maybe they can help me get home_.

 **"Oh, man**." 

At this, he realized couldn't remember his home either. He's shocked but not surprised, this memory loss is way worse than he thought. Yet, despite this lack of memory, he inherently knew that this Halloween town was not his home, he didn't know why he knew this, but he could feel it. He searched his mind again for anything more.

With a tremendous effort, and to his relief, he had managed to pull up something, a vague hazy memory of a warm glow, browns, yellows, and greens came to mind. And for some reason, he kept thinking of smiling children playing in the huge garden adorned with lavish trees and plants. More children came to mind his mind then, this time in they were sitting in rooms filled with books and boards.

 _It's like a school._ He thought.

He searched his mind further, but couldn't come up with anything more than blurred faces and sounds. But he did get a feeling, a feeling of safety, of belonging. He had no idea why a school would be his home, but he knew it was. 

**"Yeah, that's my home."** he smiled slightly. He still felt trepidatious, but a little more assured than he'd been the entire night. He came to a conclusion then and there. 

" **Now I just need to find out where that is."**

With that in mind, he continued to walk towards the suburbs. 


	2. Everybody love's some static TV

Shortly after he passed the Town Hall, wandering further into the housing district, he came to the realization that his initial instinct was in fact, dead-on; this place was hella creepy.

His confidence in this conclusion was cemented a few moments after he visited the first house he could see on the block. Number 2790. It was a friendly enough-looking place. Your standard suburban two-story house painted in soft blue hues. It had a small picket fence at the bottom of a neatly mowed front lawn, and even a quaint flowerbed that lined the fount of the house. It was seemingly perfect.

 **"The American Dream amirite"** he noted, with a slight distaste.

Looking up at the house, he gathered the motivation to move onwards. He walked up the pathway with haste, going straight towards the door, and knocked firmly three times, he was cold and wanted to get a move on. After the knocks, he stepped back and patiently waited for a response whilst hugging himself and blowing his hands in a futile attempt to stay warm. After a few moments of silence that felt like hours, there was no indication that he’d been heard. His impatience spiked and went to knock a couple more times on the door, this time much harder. No response. **"Hey! is there anyone home!"** he shouted. 

Again he was meet with no response. **“I guess that's a no”** he huffed in annoyed resignation.

Bitterly, he decided to try the next house over, number 2794. Number 2794 didn’t look that different from number 2790, and to be honest, all the houses in this neighborhood didn’t look that different from each other. Sure, they differed in size and color, but their general design features were pretty consistent. It was like the houses were all duplicates of each other, just changed ever so slightly so that no one would notice. This observation did nothing the calm his thoughts. If anything, it made him feel even more uncomfortable.

Again, he made the short walk up to another freakishly orderly garden and followed the tiled pathway towards a light yellow front door, and proceeded to knock firmly. Yet again there was no response. This was so frustrating. **"Where the hell is everyone?"** he muttered gruffly. This wasn’t getting him anywhere. He made his way back to the road and walked past a few more empty-looking houses. It was so strange, the lights in the houses were obviously on, he could see the dull glow that was reflected on closed curtains all around him. Yet, there wasn’t any indication that anyone was inside moving around. He randomly approached another house with its lights on, deciding to try a different strategy. Keeping his head and body low, (because he’s snooping, and that’s what snoopers do) he sneaks up and makes his way towards one of the front windows which appears to have a small gap in the curtains.

With his back flat up against the brick wall, he slowly moves sidewards maneuvering himself at an angle so that he could peer inside the house without being seen. Not like it appeared there were any people around to catch him. But hey, you can never be too careful.

Looking cautiously inside, he makes a small squeak in surprise (or rather a grunt) he doesn’t squeak. He could see a person. **"Hell yeah,** " He whispers, fist punching the air. He wasn’t all alone after all.

However, his initial excitement soon dissipates, and doubt starts creeping in. He moves closer inwards to get a better look at the person, but something doesn’t seem right. The person seems to be sitting on a couch watching TV. Judging by the long dark hair, and petit curvy frame he surmises that it's a lady. It's strange, she doesn't seem to be moving at all. I mean, it's not like people move a lot when they watch TV, but she's sitting with her back washboard straight, and if he was the have a guess he'd say she wasn't blinking either. He squints his eyes trying to get a better look. At this, he registers that the TV she’s watching doesn’t look like any TV he’d ever seen before, it was so thin and large. But that’s not the weirdest thing. The lady is clearly staring straight at the TV, but the TV isn't screening anything. It was on, illuminating the room in a grey-white light, but on the screen, it was just black and white static. Coupled with the hum of white noise.

**"Okaaay, that is so not normal"**

He continues to stare at the lady for a few more minutes to see if anything new happens. But unsurprisingly nothing did. The lady just continued to stare with great intensity at this TV that was showing nothing. He began to suspect this was how she had been sitting all night, or maybe even longer.

That’s when things get even weirder.

In a split second the lady just straight up turns around and stares right at him, unblinking. She moved so fast it was almost unnatural, like some kind of snake. It's like she is looking straight into his soul. Her face in a neutral-bland expression.

 **“AAHHHH!!”** He jumps, moving backward so quickly that everything instantly seems to slow down. He feels like he’s falling, but he isn't, not really. Pausing, he looks around, then he moves his body forward. It's like he's underwater, yet there isn't any water resistance. Everything is happening so slowly, and so quickly at the same. A sort of peace surrounds him at that moment, he feels in control, and warmth floods through his body as he moves his limbs purposefully directing himself away from the house.

And as quickly as the moment began, it ends just as abruptly. His heart is beating so loud he can hear it, and it takes him a second to realize that he's standing at the opposite side of the road, and few houses down. He can see that he's a least 200 meters away from that weird ladies' house now.

 **“Woah, what just happened”** How did he move so far away so quickly? and what was that feeling that overtook him at that moment. It was so addictive, he almost felt giddy.

He doesn’t have too much time to consider what just happened when a weird light at the edge of his vision catches his attention. It appears to be coming off a nearby trashcan. It's flashing slightly as if reflecting light, but the light isn't coming from an outside source, it's coming from the trashcan itself. He hesitates but takes a step forwards anyway to get a closer look. 

A moment later it glitches as if it was an object in some kind of arcade game. **"Huh?** " he un-intelligently mumbles, not sure if what he just saw actually happened. Then as if trying to prove itself, it flashed even lighter, knocking him out of his stupor. This time the trashcan was illuminated in a vibrating pixelated haze, so prominent and so real that was impossible to doubt that he had observed it. Then, as if spoked, it starts rapidly changing shape and size multiple times, shifting from one image to another, all displaying different versions of trashcans.

Eventually, it just stopped. Seemingly content with its choice of trashcan model; which was a green plastic bin, with small black wheels at the bottom. He just stared at it for a few moments in disbelief, his mouth agape. _Good choice_ ' He thought stupidly. A moment of silence followed.

 **“Seriously, could this night get weirder”** he eventually lets out in exasperation.

As if the universe once again wanted to play with him, everything when crazy. All the houses, cars, and trees began glitching too. Red pixels peppered his vision, as beams of light began to emerge from the glitching objects. The light seemed to come out in a wave of reds, blues, and greens this time, encompassing everything in its path, as if it were some kind of digital lava. He stared dumbfounded, too overwhelmed to move as the light rushed towards him.

He raised his hands and closed his eyes, bracing for the impact as the light engrossed him.


	3. Sprinklers are dumb

It's a late afternoon and he's chilling on a large brown leather couch as warm sunlight streams through the windows lighting the room in a deep yellow hue. He's super comfortable, resting his legs out on the table in front of him, his arms tucked behind his head. There's a film on, He has no idea what it's about, but it's supposed to be funny. He knows this because there's a laugh track. 

He's not alone in the room, all around him are people, all showing varying levels of interest in the film. A girl with long red hair sits next to his left on the couch, giggling softly. She is snuggled up to a boy wearing ruby red glasses, he has his arm is wrapped around her shoulders and a small smirk on his face. His attention is exclusively on the redhead.

On his right, a blond girl sits on a small stool, sipping what looks like a chocolate milkshake. She's watching the film with an intense focus and seems to be the only person who's really interested in the story. Behind her is another boy, he's chatting to a girl with short white hair and a darkly tanned complexion. They're deep in conversation. Strangely this boy's skin is completely blue. He unconsciously registers that this should probably be weird, but for some reason, the boy's blueness feels completely normal to him. So he doesn't give it a second thought. He smiles, letting the different voices blend together into a unified hum.

He leans back further into the couch. At this moment he feels like he belongs, that he can fully relax. It's such a simple and unexceptional moment, but it's the happiest he's felt in a long time. 

**"Shhhh-tik-tik-tik… shhhh-tik-tik-tik… shhhh-tik-tik-tik…”**

A strange sound assaults his ears as Ice-cold water droplets scatter upon his sleeping face, giving him a sharp fright and waking him up immediately. Bolting into an upright sitting position he looks around in frantic confusion. 

**"Shhhh-tik-tik-tik…** **shhhh-tik-tik-tik… shhhh-tik-tik-tik…”**

Then he's soaked once again by another sheet of cold water. He directs his attention to the source of the water and finds himself starting a live sprinkler a few feet away. Just before it can cover him in another layer of liquid he quickly scrambles out of its line of fire.

Once he’s safely out the range of the sprinkler, he uses his shirt to dry his face. 

His eyes take a few seconds to adjust to the new light, but soon he can see clearly see that he's sitting on the front lawn of one of the perfect houses that'd he'd been exploring a few hours ago.

**"Oh man"**

_‘How long was I asleep for’_ he wonders trying to remember the images from the rapidly fading dream. All he can remember is the warmth and comfort he felt, and even that's a reach. He looks upwards at a very blue sky, which would be completely clear if not for the few stratus clouds in the distance. Judging by this now the very prominent sun, he assumes that he must have been sleeping here for at least several hours.

 **“I’ve got to stop waking up in strange places"** he grumbles.

Considering his current situation, he briefly ponders the possibility that he could be going insane, because who the heck wakes up on the ground not knowing how they got there twice in the space of a few hours! But he pushes that thought to the side for now. 

Thankfully, this time he remembers how he got here. He recalls the ghost-themed town square, the weirdly identical houses, and the strange glitching. And oh yeah, THE FREAKING TIDAL WAVE of pixelated RGB light rushing towards him! He shakes his head in astonishment at the memory. He doesn’t recall much of anything after that. He must have passed out once the light reached him. Great.

He looks down at himself surprised to see that he’s no longer dressed in the blue and white outfit he’d been wearing the night before. He’s still rocking the three quarter jean shorts and a beaded necklace, but his shirt has changed into a tie-dyed style with a wavy sun in the middle. On top of the shirt, he's got a thin jacket on. It seems his hair is also no longer styled in a puffy mess but is now snug under a light blue beanie.

It’s a weird stylistic choice, but he kinda likes it. **“Groovy.”** He smirks.

A sudden movement in his peripheral vision draws him away from admiring his new outfit. Not able to see anything properly whilst sitting down, he stands up and searches his surroundings for the origin. Once he's standing he's able to track the moving figure fairly easily. It appears the moving figure is a lady, and she's walking with haste towards one of the larger houses on the opposite side of the road. 

Instinctually he moves slightly forward, about to rush towards her. ' _because yay! a person._ ' But he doesn't. He considers what had happened to him the last time, recalling the freaky TV lady. _'No, I've got to be more cautious this time'_ he thinks. With this in mind, he decides to push down any emerging hope before it can form. For all he knows, with how weird this place is, she could be some kind of zombie or worse. So he decides to proceed with caution. _'Look how mature I'm being.'_

Watching her, he's able to deduce that she seems to be searching for something. She's gazing up and down the house with intent, looking at the house as if she's seeing it for the first time. He also takes note of the fact that she keeps glancing behind herself suspiciously, it's as if she's scared she'll be discovered. 

**"Okay, that's definitely not her house"** he concludes. _No one looks at their own house that way._

He moves a tad closer, hovering just out of her line of sight. So far, she actually seems pretty normal, excluding the suspicious glancing. She's moving in a natural way so that's good, unlike the TV lady. At this small assurance, he begins taking in her appearance. She has dark curly black hair that frames her narrow hazel-toned face. He would guess she's about average height, and she definitely moves with confidence. He then takes in her clothes, she's wearing a grey and black suit of some kind with a logo on her chest that’s too small for him to see clearly. It most definitely wasn't the kind of outfit a suburban lady living in this neighborhood would be wearing normally, which made her stand out and piqued his curiosity further.

She eventually stopped snooping, her attention focused on the subterranean door that likely led down into a basement. She moves to open the big wooden hatch on the door. Looking inside.

That’s when he decides he better approach her, he really doesn't want her to disappear before he can ask her a few questions, so it was now or never. Quietly, he walks up behind her. He's still a bit hesitant but decides to _'act cool'_ and casually mutters “ **Snooper's gonna snoop”** because hey, he did some snooping earlier. He knows what a snooper looks like.

She quickly turns around and looks up at him in obvious shock and he swears her eyes flashed purple for a second. But maybe that was a trick of the light?

 **“Hey, Woah Woah, it’s all good. I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare you”** He takes a few steps back and raises his hands up to show that he doesn’t intend any harm.

She doesn’t respond for a moment. Her shock gradually fades from her face and is replaced by increasing confusion. She looks at him up and down. 

He bristles under her scrutiny, she still hasn't said anything.

 **“Are you okay?”** He asks, his tongue instinctively bushing up against his top lip.

She looks at him more intensely.

 **“Pietro?”** she eventually lets out.

_Huh?_

**“Who’s Pietro?”** He responds.

Why would she call him Pietro? He considers the name for a second. It was foreign-sounding but strangely familiar.

Having considered this he adds **“Is that my name?”**

The truth is, he had released that he didn’t remember his name a few moments after he realized he couldn't remember his home. It was just one of the many missing memories he kept having to add to a growing mental list. He would be lying if it didn’t freak him out, but during the moment he had decided that it was just another thing he would figure out when he got home; not really wanting to open that can of worms just yet.

So, for all he knew, his name could actually be Pietro.

The lady looked at him with an unbelieving expression, as if she thought he was trying to mock her.

 **“Um yeah.”** She states blandly.

She seems to think on this for a bit before something seemed to click and her face shifted. **“At least I thought it was, but you don't seem to recognize it?"**

He shakes his head in confirmation.

At this, her attitude shifts slightly. **"Wanda most likely changed it for you when she created the hex. At least, that's what she did to me, I went by Geraldine when I was stuck here”** she supplied.

 _Wait, what? What's a Hex? Who's Wanda? Changed her name… stuck where? What was she talking about?_ He understood none of it. He had so many questions flooding through his head, the feeling was overwhelming. Yet, for some strange reason, his first choice of response was to giggle.

 **"Heh. Your name was Geraldine? what, is this the '50s or something?"** he quipped.

She looked at him unimpressed. **"Seriously, that's what you want to focus on right now?"**

At this rebuttal, he was quickly drawn back into reality and the smirk promptly fell off his face. **"Sorry, I'm just a bit overwhelmed is all"** he felt a tad ashamed at his childishness.

Luckily, her face softened in understanding.

With this, he considered his next question more closely. **"You said that was your name when you were stuck here? what do you mean by 'stuck here' and if Geraldine isn't your name then what is?** " 

She confidently responded, **"I'm Monica.** **And when I said 'stuck here' I meant that I was literally stuck here. This town..."** she waved her hands around referring to everything around them **"The Town of Westview, and everyone it is... is ah, how do I put this... under a mind-control spell?"** She looks at him to see if he was following, he was. Well, at least he was trying to. **"Well it's a little bit more than just mind control, but that's the best way I can describe it at this point."**

He nodded hesitantly. Okay, he was finding this kinda hard to believe. 

She continued. **"There's this woman, she is the source of the mind-control. That's what happened to me when I was stuck here, I was under her control. It's what I think happened to you too. It's why I thought you were Pietro. That's what she called you when you were under the spell"**

 _'Okaaay. That was a lot to take in_.' But one thing did catch his attention. " **Who is this woman, and** **why would anyone do something like that?"**

Monica choose to answer the first question **"Her name is Wanda. Wanda Maximoff... and I don't think she did it intentionally"** with this revelation she explored his face for any kind of reaction.

That name certainly didn't ring any bells **"Who?"**

She looked back down. He had hoped that his confusion was enough to convince her he wasn't lying.

**"She's, ah...You've probably heard of the Avengers?"**

He Hadn't.

**"Um nope, never heard of any 'Avengers'. Is that like a fancy club or something?"**

Her expression remained unreadable and he felt compelled to elaborate. Scratching the back of his head self-consciously he added **"Well, I probably would remember this 'club' if I could remember anything before waking up last night in a pile of straw"** He pauses, eventually admitting to both himself and Monica what he thought was going on **"I think I have Amnesia. Or at least something similar"** he sighs **"I can't remember my own name let alone who these Avengers people are."**

She looked at him as if she was seeing him for the first time.

Her eyes were now full of concern and, was that understanding? He couldn't be sure, but she sure seemed like she wanted to help. **"It's okay, you can trust me. Right now I'm trying to work out how to stop Wanda's control over Westview, but as soon as that's done, I'll help you figure everything out"** A tension he didn't know he had was released from his shoulders. He decided at that moment he liked Monica.

 **"Thank you** " He uttered sincerely.

 **"No problem.. um, if you can't remember your name, what should I call you?"** She asked a bit sheepishly. This was the first time since he'd met her that she seemed unsure.

He considered this problem **"I have no clue."** After a second he put forward his best option he had at the moment **"I know that this Wanda lady gave me the name, and its probably not my real name, but I guess Pietro works for now. It's not like I have that many options"** He didn't mention how cool he thought the name was, and how familiar it felt.

 **"Okay, great. Pietro it is."** she smiled. 

At that moment a loud " **BANG!"** echoed through the town, followed by shouting voices. They were coming from somewhere down the street. At this, Monica seemed to realize where they were standing. She looked across the street and then back at him. _oh yeah, wacko town, he had almost forgotten._


	4. Don't mess with the purple lady

The voices in the street grew louder.

**“Mom! Mom!”**

**“Help Us!”**

**“MOM!”**

They sounded young, uncomfortably young.

 **“Ah. That does not sound good,”** The newly-dubbed Pietro remarked.

Looking towards Monica he could see that her brows were furrowed in concern.

 **“Come on, we've got to go see what’s happening”** she responded, grabbing his wrist and dragging him along with her towards the noise. He was a bit stunned at being grabbed but didn’t protest.

Apparently, they were leaving the basement investigation on hold for now.

They made their way around the house and onto the front lawn, careful to stay hidden behind the shrubbery. They stopped once they reached a good vantage point, which was behind the hood of a grey Toyota SUV.

Trying to be subtle, they peered over the hood to get a look at what was going on.

Monica gasped at the sight. Pietro mimicked her. There, in the middle of the road were three figures.

His eyes were first drawn to the two smaller figures, It was two kids, young boys, wearing green and red clothing respectively, they were evidently the source of the shouting.

Looking extremely distressed, the boys had their hands at their necks, presumably, this was an attempt at stopping a violet glowing rope from choking them.

Above them was s a third larger figure. A woman this time. She was dressed in ancient dark purple robes, her curly hair was blowing haphazardly around like it was being swept up by a windstorm. The rope appeared to be coming from her hands as if by magic, and whispy black tendrils hovered around her blacken fingers. Her ethereal presence was surreal against the normalcy of the neighborhood that surrounded them. It took him a moment to realize that she was.. floating?

Pietro stared in bewilderment.

**“What the actual fu—”**

**“Shhh!”** Monica shut him down before he could finish his sentence.

He wanted to argue. _It’s not like they’re going to hear us over all the shouting!_ But she had a fierce look in her eyes that dared him to challenge her.

Whelp. He swallowed. _I guess I'll keep quiet then._

The kid's cries continued.

**“Mom! Mom! Mom, help us!”**

**“Mom! Help!”**

They looked so scared.

Pietro clenched his fists. He couldn't just watch this, these kids needed help. He had no clue who they were, but an intense protective instinct flared up inside of him. At that moment he felt like he would’ve done anything to save them.

He took a step forward, getting ready to rush into the action. At this sudden movement, Monica seemed to guess what he was about to do and moved to catch him before he was able to pounce.

She raised her hand up blocking his path.

 **“What are you doing?”** She whispered harshly. Her eyes burned a luminescent blue, flashing in a warning. _So her eyes really do glow_.

 **“What does it look like I’m doing, I’m going to help those kids!”** He pointed at the road.

He then moved to the side, trying to get around her.

 **“Wait.”** She stops him again. **“Calm down alright?”** She said more gently this time. **“We can’t just go running into a battle, especially with a super-powered being”** She points at the lady in the purple robe. **“We have no idea what she’s capable of. What do you think you could do to stop her?”**

He paused thinking about this. She had a point. _Dammit._

The truth was his instincts had told him to run, just run. He believed that would have been enough.

However, upon reflection, he realized how stupid that would have sounded to Monica. So instead he said. **“I dunno… maybe I could have distracted her! Scared her from behind… and then the kids could have gotten away?”** He lamely proposed.

She sighed **“I know you want to help Pietro, but we need a plan first”** she explained.

Hearing his 'name' allowed was still taking some getting used to, but he liked having something to identify with.

He nods.

Then he remembers her glowing eyes.

Maybe she could do something! He was certain she was powerful in some way. He could almost feel the energy radiating off of her in small waves. Though he really didn’t know if she actually had powers, or even if she did, he couldn't be sure they were combat orientated. But before he could say anything more, someone new ran onto the road drawing Monica’s attention away from him.

The new arrival was a redheaded lady dressed in tracksuit pants and a hoodie. She ran towards the three people already in the street looking visibly worried and fearful.

 **“Wanda,”** Monica murmurs, eyes glued to the lady.

 _That’s Wanda? She doesn’t look all that intimidating, let alone powerful enough to keep an entire town, including himself, under mind control?_

**“Please! Please help us! Mom!”** The kids began to plead more desperately when they saw Wanda.

_Oh shit, was she their mom?_

**“Mom!”** The boy dressed in green whimpers to Wanda. Answering his question.

 **“It's okay, baby. It's okay.”** Wanda soothed.

 **“I know what you are.** ” The lady dressed in purple robes declared to Wanda.

 **“You have no idea how dangerous you are. You’re supposed to be a myth… A being capable of spontaneous creation, and here you are, using it to make breakfast for dinner.”** At this statement, she languidly lowered herself to the ground so that she was no longer hovering in the air. 

**“Let go of my children”** Wanda deadpanned. Gone was the fear he’d seen on her face earlier, she now wore a look of fierce determination and rage.

_Okay, so maybe he had judged her too quickly before; she is kinda scary._

**“Oh, yes, your children. And Vision, and this whole little life you've made, this is Chaos Magic, Wanda.”** The 'purple lady' paused for effect.

 **“And that makes you the Scarlet Witch.”** She said this like it was some kind of huge revelation. It was lost on him.

_Chaos Magic? Scarlet Witch? The heck?_

He looked at Monica for answers. But she seemed just a baffled as he was.

Back on the road, Wanda seemed to be just as unaffected by the reveal as they were.

She retorted **“My powers work out here, or did you forget?”**

 **“No, dear. I'm counting on it.”** The 'purple lady' smirked.

Wanda looked a bit confused at this, and if she expected a different response. However, that didn’t stop her from summoning two red orbs of power in her hands. Her fingers danced around the orbs as they grew in size, emanating red tendrils.

In one swift motion, she stepped forward, her arms raised and the orbs shot out of her hands towards the 'purple lady.'

**"Woah, That's awesome!"** Pietro exclaimed.

_whoops, that was loud._

He glanced at Monica fearing some kind of rebuttal but she was too engrossed in what was happening to berate him this time. _phew._

Instead, he focused back on the ongoing action.

He searched for the inevitable destruction that he was sure the blast would have caused, but instead, all he saw was the 'purple lady' standing there, unaffected.

He thought that she would have at least been knocked down by the blast, but she just looked… refreshed?

He was shocked, and apparently so was Wanda.

Luckily, even though the blast had no effect on the purple lady, it did manage to distract her, and in doing so she must have dissolved the rope, probably to focus her energy on Wanda.

The kids were now free.

They stood in the middle of the road, grasping at their necks as if surprised to suddenly be free. They then looked expectantly at their Mom.

Wanda’s attention was still on the purple lady, but she did look relieved that the boys were no longer being strangled. Glancing at them slightly, she quickly says " **Go to your room”**

They don’t move, newfound determination in their eyes.

 **“No way, we're staying with you.”** The boy in red argues.

The boy in greens nods in agreement. **“Come on, Mom, we can help.”**

The purple lady is just standing there now, watching them in amusement. **“Listen to your mother, boys.”**

Wanda looks at the purple lady and then at her boys, she does not look like she is in the mood to argue **“Go, now!”**

The boys look like they want to say something, but grudgingly they seem to accept the order. The kid dressed in green then raises his hand and grabs his brother, and they quickly disappear in a blue haze.

_Huh? The kid in green had powers too?_

When the boys disappeared, the purple lady started laughing menacing. She then disappeared in a puff of purple mist. Wanda looked alarmed at this. She seemed to think for a second, before turning and sprinting down the road towards the town square. He guessed she'd gone to find out where the purple lady had gone. 

He blinked, his eyes were dry after watching the scene with such intensity. That was crazy and his mind was buzzing. Yet, he didn’t even have time to process what had just happened when the next thing he knew, the two boys from the road appeared are a few feet away from him in a blur. They were standing right outside at the door of house number 2800.

They were so preoccupied with what was happening that didn’t notice Pietro and Monica standing so close to them, mouths agape.

 **“We should have stayed!”** The boy in red stated to his brother vehemently.

 **“We couldn’t Billy, Mom told us to go to our room!”** The boy in green defends. 

The boy in red, who he now knows is called Billy, countered **“still, we have to do something Tommy, we have to help Mom”** he pleaded. 

**“I know”** Tommy responds, frustrated. **“But what? do you wanna get strangled by Agnes again?”**

Billy doesn’t say anything at that. He looked like he wanted to burst into tears.

Monica decided that was the right moment to intervene. She walking over to them briskly.

It took Pietro a second to realize she’d moved **“hey, wait up!”** he stated, quickly catching up to her.

**“Hey, are you alright?”** she calls catching the attention of the boys.

Startled, they quickly turned at the same time looking frightened. 

**“Hey, It’s okay we are friends, we just want to help”** she tries to mollify them. 

Trying to support her, Pietro stood right next to her, putting on his best kid-friendly smile. **“Yup, just a couple of friends here, no need to fear”**

After he had spoken they became much more hostile, the frowns on their faces deepening. They looked up at him with clear distrust.

_Whoops. Did he just make things worse?_

Billy angrily spat. **“Why should we trust you? You lied to us about being our Uncle, you’re just as bad as Agnes!”**

He reeled, no expecting such venom from the kid. 

Oh man, He’d just been accused of lying. _Was I their Uncle?_ He obviously couldn't remember. _How involved had I been in their lives?_

He opened his mouth thinking of the best response. **“Hey guys, listen, Monica here is telling the truth, we want to help. I don’t remember anything before last night, If I was pretending to be your uncle it was because I was being mind-controlled. I didn’t mean to lie to you, okay?”**

They looked at each other, skepticism evident on their features. This didn’t appear to have had any impact on their hostility.

He knew he needed to convince them further, but there was nothing more he could say “ **Come on guys, please?”** He asked as sincerely as he could. 

Tommy hesitantly considered this, he looked at Billy and said **“Can you tell if he’s lying?”**

Billy looked up at him, and said **“I can try, but I don't know, I still can’t really control it”**

 **“It’s okay, just try your best,”** Tommy said encouragingly. 

Pietro had no idea what the kids were on about, but his answer soon came when Billy put a hand on his head just above his ear and stared straight into his soul. Spooked. He looked at Monica for support but she just shrugged. _Big help she was._

So he just stood there uncomfortably bristling under the intense gaze of Billy for a few moments. 

Billy finally broke his silence. **“His thoughts move so fast"**

_okay, that's a weird thing to say._

**"It’s like they’re all jumbled, I can’t read them. But I did get read on his feelings, they feel genuine and he's concerned about us. I think he’s telling the truth”**

_What? Did Billy just read his mind? Or rather, did he just read his feelings?_

Tommy seemed to accept this, easily trusting his brother. 

They then both visibly relaxed, no longer looking like they were about to maul them.

Tommy then addressed him, sounding a bit hurt this time **“You really can’t remember us?”**

 **“Ummm”** he stuttered, quite surprised at how quickly their attitude towards him had changed. 

**“No, not a thing kiddo, I’m sorry”** he felt a bit saddened by the admission. The boy looked pensive at his words but said nothing more.

Billy then looked at Monica, seriously considering what she had said to them earlier. **“So, you really do want to help us?”** He asked. 

Monica seemed relieved that they had decided to trust them. **“Yes, we do”**

The boys looked happy with this confirmation.

For a few moments, no one knew what to say. 

**"Um, we should probably go inside?"** Billy suggested. 

Now in the lounge, they all moved to sit down. 

**"So, Whadda we gonna do? huh, what are we gonna do, please tell me, pleaseee!”** Tommy asked jumping in excitement. 

Billy rolled his eyes gave them a look that said: _please excuse my brother, he’s an immature child._

 **“Hey, hold on boys, we want to help you, we really do. But maybe the best way we can do that is if you listened to your Mom and stayed safely in your room?** **”** Monica suggested. 

Tommy stopped jumping and looked up at her petulantly. 

**"No way! we’re helping you, besides I have a plan to stop Agnes!”** He stated smugly, folding his arms in confidence. 

_Wait, what?_

**“You do?”** Monica and Billy disbelievingly questioned at the same time. 

**“Yup!”** He promptly disappeared in a haze of blue, returning a moment later with, an ice-cream? This was so not the time for an ice-cream.

_okay, so he was just bitter because he wanted one too._

**“But I’ll only tell you if you let me and Billy come along. You need us”** He smirked. licking his ice-cream.

_What a cheeky little bastard._

_He was so proud._

**"He's right, we have powers! we can help."** Billy added.

Monica looked at Pietro for answers this time. He shrugged. He was cool with it. He was growing fond of the little terrors. 

She sighed. **“Alright, you can come--**

 **"Yaas!"** they both chorused. 

**"-But first, you need to tell me that plan of yours. And if at any time Pietro or I decide it’s too dangerous, you will super-speed you and your Brother home as quickly as possible. No questions asked. Understood?”**

They both nodded. Huge smiles graced their faces. Seeing their smiles, Pietro felt himself full up with joy. 

**"Alright. So what’s the plan, Tommy?”** Monica questioned, no sure she was ready to hear the answer. 


	5. Ever seen a demon bunny?

Tommy wasted no time; he rapidly explained his ‘plan’ to the group. **“So, you know when Agnes captured us?”**

He asked rhetorically, but everyone nodded anyway.

 **“She was supposed to be taking care of us, but instead she tricked us... S** **he took us downstairs to her creepy basement…** **It was wild down there; like a scary movie, all covered in these ugly vines. It even smelt funny”** He scrunched his nose at the memory.

 **“Then she opened up this hidden door in the wall and stuffed us inside. We tried to get out, but we couldn’t; even using our powers...”** He looked a little upset whilst revealing this information but quickly regained his composure.

 **“But just before she did that, I saw something. This huge book in the corner. I noticed it because it had an odd cover and it was giving off this orangey glow like it was on fire, but not really... It made me feel weird...** **Billy thought the book was weird too, right Billy?”**

**“Right!”** Billy nodded, getting what Tommy was hinting at. **“It was… It was whispering to me.”** He timidly confessed.

**“It was like it knew I was scared, so it told me that it could help me, that it would give me power… But I just blocked it from my mind”**

**“Yeah! It was super weird”** Tommy butted in again. “ **I think it’s connected to Agnes’ magic somehow. It felt similar to the energy stuff she used to strangle us in the street... maybe if we go find it, we could stop her, and help Mom.”**

**“Tommy’s right if the book has something to do with Agnes. We should go find it”** Billy added.

Tommy grinned, happy to have Billy’s support. He then looked up at Pietro and Monica expectantly, waiting for their feedback.

Monica looked pensive, considering the information. **“This basement, it wouldn’t happen to be a part of the house next door?”**

Billy looked surprised that she knew where the basement was. “ **Yeah, that’s Agnes’ house”**

Monica acknowledged this, she then turned towards Pietro.

**“Pietro, that’s the basement I was investigating when you showed up. I don’t know how, but I could see this ‘purple energy’ coming off it. If it’s the same basement that the boys are talking about, then I think we need to go check it out”**

Pietro wasn’t going to disagree, it actually sounded like a good idea. He wanted to help these boys, which he supposed, would indirectly help Wanda… To be honest, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to help Wanda after he found out she had mind-controlled him and everyone else in Westview. She might even be the reason for his memory loss. _Not cool._

But Monica seemed convinced Wanda wasn’t the bad guy here, and he trusted her. Plus, this Agnes lady seemed way worse than Wanda presently, so maybe he would have to prioritize. So, with this in mind, he set a plan in his head, try and stop Agnes now; confront Wanda later.

 **“I’m in”** He eventually let out. Then he pointed at Tommy. **“But I’m going to need you to get me one of those ice-cream’s first”**

————————————————————-

After all frozen desserts had been consumed. The rag-tag group headed back outside towards the next house over: ‘Agnes’ house’.

Pietro considered how bizarre it was that a few hours ago he had woken up with no memory in the middle of a strange town, and now he was walking towards some super-powered ladies' basement looking for an evil book with a couple of kids and women whose eyes could glow. _I wonder if my life was this surreal before._

Not that he was complaining, he was actually enjoying the adventure. Okay, so maybe enjoying it was the wrong word, but there was something exhilarating about the whole experience. Even though he was incredibly confused, and stressed, and a tad scared… alright, a lot scared. He was still somewhat in his element, he enjoyed feeling like he was helping people. It also helped that this was distracting him for his own problems… for now.

Once they reached the basement, Monica asked Tommy and Billy to take the lead (she insisted she’d be right behind them if anything happened. It was just so they could show them the way.) They agreed and took a few cautious steps through the wooden doors and descended into the passageway below.

Once down, they waved, indicating for Monica and Pietro to follow.

Now they were walking through the passageway Pietro could now see what the boys had been talking about. This place was spooky. There were huge vines growing up and around that walls that wouldn’t have been out of place in a jungle, it was very disconcerting to see them beneath a suburban house. It also smelt of rotten eggs, which he assumed might be due to sulfur. He peered closer at the walls and touched one of the vines; it let out a low 'hissss' giving him a small fright. At this, he increased the speed of his steps, catching up to Monica and the kids.

Once he caught up, they continued to walk further through the passage, following the curved walls. It was dark, and the only light available was coming from the opening ahead of them. They eventually reached the source of the light which was coming from a large room. They entered the room and he noticed It didn't look anything like a typical basement. He thought It might have been better to describe it as a sort-of dungeon, or something from the middle ages: weird cabinets and trinkets included. He lifted his head up and saw that the walls and ceiling were adorned with obscure symbols and illegible markings. The walls reflected the light from makeshift windows above, creating an eerie atmosphere. The whole place gave him the hebejebes. 

He looked back down at Tommy, “ **You weren’t kidding kid, this place is crazy.”**

Tommy gave him a pointed look as if to say: _Duh._

He ignored the look.

**“So, where’s this book you were talking about?”**

Tommy looked around, taking in the room. Then he spotted it and pointed over to the opposite side of the room **“It’s over there.”** In a flash, he zipped towards the book in a blur, stopping right in front of it. 

He considered the item for less than a second; raising his hands about to grab it.

Seeing Tommy's impulsive action, Billy yells **“Tommy wait!’** he instinctively manifests blue energy comparable to Wanda’s red orbs in his palms. At the action, Tommy’s hands freeze mid-air.

He swiftly ran over to Tommy, pulling him away from the book “ **Are you crazy, don’t touch it!”**

Tommy shakes his head as if he didn’t know what just happened. He seemed disorientated. **“I... I just had the urge to touch it.”**

Billy looked worried. **“See! The book is evil, can you feel it?”** He looked to Pietro and Monica **.**

Sure, Pietro could feel it. But he wouldn’t have described the feeling as evil exactly. Dark maybe. But mostly, it just felt like pure untapped _power_. The feeling was chaotic but appealing. He could get why Tommy would try to touch it.

At this, Monica chimed in. “ **It’s alright Tommy, just stand behind me, Billy what you did just then when you stopped Tommy, is that part of your powers?”**

 **“Yeah?”** He supplied, wondering what that had to do with anything.

 **“I can see the light around it, it’s powerful, and not in a good way. You were right boys, it’s giving off the same energy Agnes was when she was strangling you, they’re definitely connected somehow”** Monica explained as her eyes glowed the same orange as the book. _Cool._

The boys nodded grimly at this revelation.

She continued; eyes back to normal now. “ **We clearly don’t want to handle this thing if we can help it, could you use your powers to carry the book without touching it, Billy?”**

Billy seems to ponder this, then he stated with determination. “ **I think I could do that”**

He ambled over to the book, placing his hands on either side, careful not to touch it. Then his palms began to glow with the same blue energy he’d used earlier. At this, the energy gradually enclosed the book in a shimmering bubble and it began to gently hover. Billy moved slowly, lifting the book up from its wooden stand and into the air. With the book now suspended in the air above him, he turned around, facing the others. “ **Okay got it.”** he declared with a smile.

 **“Go, Billy!”** Tommy praised. **“Yeah, Awesome stuff little man”** Pietro added.

Billy looked visibly drained by the whole ordeal. **“Can we go now?”** he asked. 

Monica concurred. **“Sure thing Billy, let’s go”**

She took the lead this time; heading in the direction of the passageway they entered through. The three boys followed close behind. Billy sandwiched between Pietro and Tommy.

\--------------------------

They had made it back into the dimly lit passageway and had followed the path back pretty much unhindered until Monica abruptly stopped just before the exit. Tommy nearly walked into her back at the sudden act.

 **“Huh?”** he lets out, unsure of why she stopped. 

**“Ah. Monica, what’s the hold-up?”** Pietro asks from the back.

At his question, she silently moves out of the way, allowing the boys to see what was ahead of her.

Now that the pathway was clear the three boys could clearly see the cause of the commotion.

“ **Oh,”** Pietro states blandly.

There, blocking the exit, was a fluffy white bunny. It was just sitting there motionless; watching them with a blank expression.

 **“Señor Scratchy!”** The boys exclaimed in unison.

 **“Señor Scratchy?”** Pietro echoed, puzzled. Out of all the things he expected to have stopped them this was not one of them.

 **“Yeah, this is Señor Scratchy, he’s the best”** Tommy supplied, like that clarified everything. 

**“He’s Agnes’ bunny”** Billy elaborated after seeing their puzzled looks.

**“Right…”** Monica says in a dubious tone.

 **“It’s okay, he’s friendly, I’ll get him out the way”** Tommy offers, moving forward towards the rabbit.

He then reached down for Señor Scratchy, presumably to try and pick him up. At the sudden movement, the rabbit jumped back and _growled._ The growl was unnerving; unnatural coming from a creature so small.

**“Umm?”** Tommy withdraws his hands swiftly from the bunny.

 **“Is he supposed to do that?”** Monica asked, mystified.

 **“I don’t think so”** Tommy states doubtfully, taking a few steps back slowly.

The rabbit growled again, this time it was louder and deeper. Its eyes had changed to a distressing red color. The creature started to transform; Its skin started bubbling. An abnormal cracking sound followed; as if its bones were breaking. At this, It began shrieking. The sound was deafening. The small figure then began to gradually expand, limbs branching out in all directions. It was morphing into a new much larger form. Its teeth became sharper and more protruding; its lips blood red. The previously white coat shifted to a darker shade, eventually disappearing entirely; turning into slimy black skin.

Senor Scratchy looked like some kind of demon.

“ **CRAP!”** Pietro cried. " **Everyone Run!"**

With the exit blocked, everyone turned in the opposite direction, bolting back down the hall. 

The demon waited for a second, stretching out its arms and cracking its neck as if it was just getting used to its new form. Then it looked at them; eyes narrowed. it blinked again and emitted another shrieking sound.

 **“EEEEEWWWWEEERRRRKKKK!!!!”** The sound echoed ominously throughout the passageway. Vibrating the walls. 

It then pounced, its freakishly long hindlegs catapulting it forward.

\-------------------------------------

Billy was lagging behind the others, he was trying to run, as well as maintain his focus on keeping the book up in the air. As a result, the demon rabbit was gaining on him rapidly. “ **Help me!”** He yelped.

Monica was just about to reach the dungeon room they'd been in earlier. Tommy and Pietro just ahead. When she heard a cry and looked back to see that Billy was about to be attacked by the demon Senor Scratchy. Seeing this, she shouted. **“Tommy, go grab your brother and get out of here!”**

Tommy nodded, quickly speeding towards Billy and stopping just in front of him.

He went to grab his brothers’ arm but before he could Senor Scratchy projected a large orange energy ball out of his mouth. It hit Tommy square in the back and flung him across the room, hitting a wall with a nauseating thud.

 **“TOMMY!”** Billy screamed, his eyes bursting with fear. The blast had knocked him over as well, and he was now sitting on the ground the book was laying on the floor next to him. Tommy didn’t respond. He just lay there, comatose. He really didn't look good.

Billy looked back at the demon rabbit. It was now standing right above him, letting out a low menacing growl.

He hurriedly summoned his own energy balls and shot them, blasting the creature's chest.

It didn't do much, the demon just filched back slightly, looking even more pissed than before.

Pietro was standing there, watching the scene. His breathing was rapidly increasing; his face burning hot. He was panicking.

 _Shit shit shit._ The demon is about to attack Billy, he could see its sharp-clawed hand upstretched just above its head. It was going to take a swing at the kid. 

_What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? Whatdoidowhatdoido?_ His thoughts were moving at a terrifying rate.

That’s when everything around him STOPPED _._

_What?_

He stands there completely perplexed. Everyone around him is frozen, or at least they’re moving very, very slowly. 

_Is this real?_

He glances at Monica first. Her face is unmoving; focused. She is suspended in a running pose heading in the direction of Tommy, probably to check on him. Strangely he notices that there’s a faint light coming from her entire body, she's shimmering. He decides to ask about that later.

He then directs his attention onto Billy and Senor Scratchy.

The demon rabbit's mouth is wide open, its piercing teeth on display. Some saliva is floating in the air around it, sparkling in the light. 

Looking at Billy he could see that the boy was still sitting on the floor. He wore a terrified expression, his eyes wide, hands out in a protective pose. The sight was even more unsettling than it would have been normally as he could see every detail of the kid's fear. 

He stands, contemplating his next move. He would be lying if he said he wasn't afraid that if he moved everything would somehow speed up again, bringing with it the return of all the chaos. But then he looked at Billy again, seeing his fear he knew couldn't just do nothing. So he took a tentative step forward.

Nothing happens. Everything is still in super slow-mo.

_Okay, it's all good._

He moves forward some more, this time walking over to Billy's vulnerable form bending over and picking him up.

With Billy now in his arms, he launches into a gentle jog.

He moves forward, veering around Senor Scratchy, and heads towards the exit. Once outside, he crosses the space between the two houses and enters the twin's house. Here he found a coach and gently placed Billy down, and headed back towards the basement.

He didn’t know exactly how this was happening, but he was going to get Monica those kids out of danger if it was the last thing he did.

Now back in the basement, he approaches Monica. Her expression had changed slightly, and she seemed to have moved forward a bit. He picked her up, holding the back of her neck for support, and ran back to the house. Here, he placed her down next to the kind-of-frozen Billy.

Next, he ran back to get Tommy; scared as to what he’d find this time.

The boy was unsurprisingly still passed out on the ground.

 _Come on Tommy, please be okay_.

He kneeled down and picked him up.

Careful to avoid the demon rabbit for the third time, he ran back to the lounge where Monica and Billy were sitting, and placed Tommy down gently next to them.

Then he stopped and took in the sight. Mission complete. _kinda,_ now he just had to wait for time to resume as normal.

He stood there, waiting. But nothing happened, Everything was still so _sluggish_.

So naturally, he panicked again.

 **“Okay, calm down, you can do this, just think slow thoughts,”** he said soothingly to himself.

He closed his eyes and kneeled down, maneuvering himself into a comfortable sitting position.

After he sat down and had relaxed a bit, he cautiously opened one eye and to his relief, he saw that things had started moving a little faster, but still not at a normal speed.

**“Come on!”**

He closed his eyes again and took another deep breath.

 **“Think slower thoughts”** He reiterated to himself.

He sat there for a few seconds, continuing the mutter this mantra in his head.

Finally, he heard something akin to swishing, followed by a chorus of gasps and groaning.

Next thing he knew a small voice spoke **“Um, what are you doing?”**

He opened his eyes to see Billy staring right at him with a perplexed frown.

He looked down at himself to see that he was sitting, cross-legged in the middle of the carpet, with his fists clenched in his lap. It looked like he had been trying to meditate. _Oh, this is embarrassing…_

 **“Ah…”** He mumbles, unsure of how to respond to that.

Before he could try to come up with something, Monica interrupted him. Looking confused and disheveled.

**“Okay, what happened. How did we get here?”** She gazed at Billy. They both looked like they might through-up at any second.

He raised his arms in surrender **“Don’t ask me, I dunno”**

Rubbing her hands over her face, she addressed him again. “ **You’re sure? Do your powers include teleportation or something?”**

 **“No, why would you think that?”** He admitted, looking annoyed that she didn’t believe him the first time.

 **“Was it Tommy, did he speed us out?”** She further enquired.

Billy glanced down at Tommy, he was still passed out on the chair. He moved over to touch his forehead. He was at least breathing, making small whimpers. **“I don’t think Tommy could have done anything whilst like this”** He supplied, he understandably looked worried for his brother.

Monica didn’t seem convinced. She was about to ask Billy another question when Pietro choose this moment to interrupt.

**“Um… guys?”** They didn’t look at him. Maybe they didn’t hear him?

 **“Guys!”** He said louder. This time they both turned, looking a bit peeved at the interruption.

 **“It was me,”** he said in a small voice. Keeping his gaze down. He didn’t know why he felt so shy all of a sudden.

Monica looked baffled, she didn’t understand what he was trying to say, **“What do you mean it was you, Pietro?”**

 **“How we all got here, it was me. I um... ran us here?”** He stated.

 **“You ran us here?”** Monica repeated, unbelieving.

 **“Yeah”** He tried to smile, but it came out more like a grimace.

Billy looked impressed, the polar opposite to Monica’s disbelief **“Awesome Uncle P! I didn’t know you were that fast! You didn’t go that fast on Halloween?”** Then his face changed, realizing what he’d just said “ **Ah. I mean Mr. P… Mr. Pietro.. sir.”**

_How did Billy know about the speed? Uncle P?_

**“It’s okay Billy you can just call me Pietro”** he soothed, not in the mood right then to grill the boy. Billy looked a little less anxious at this assurance. 

“ **Wait you ran us out, how?”** Monica further questioned. 

**“I don’t know, but apparently I’m fast, really fast”** he offered. Not sure what else to say.

She looked baffled by his admission. Then she seemed to realize something. **“It’s just like Pietro,”** she stated.

“ **Huh?”** He expressed.

 **“I was convinced you'd have lost Pietro’s super-speed when you regained your own consciousness”** she added, not really talking to him so much as confirming it to herself.

He didn’t understand what she was talking about.

Seeing this she explained further.

**“I mean Pietro Maximoff, Wanda’s brother. He had super-speed. You had his speed for a while when Wanda was having you pretend to be him. I assumed she gave you the power so you'd be more like her brother. I thought for sure it would have disappeared when you became, well... you again. ”**

_Oh._

**“I guess not.”** He said, considering what had just happened.

Was that what that was, super-speed? Because it was amazing. He hadn’t known the other Pietro had had super-speed, but it made sense since everyone else in this place seemed to have powers. But why was he retaining the other Pietro’s speed? Did that mean he was still being affected by Wanda’s powers? Would he lose it as soon as Wanda broke her control over the town? 

All these questions and no answers.

“ **This this a good thing,”** Monica adds, interrupting his thoughts. **“We can this to our advantage, another enhanced person”** She grinned reassuringly.

He wanted to tell her that he didn't really know how the speed worked, or how to could control it. Hell, he wasn't even sure if the power would just suddenly vanish once he met Wanda.

But he kept quiet, not wanting to put a damper on the moment. 

**“Also, I should thank-you. You got us out of a really bad situation back there”** she added appraisingly.

He blushed and his hand scratched the back of his head nervously. He had not expected to be thanked **“Really it was no problem”**

**_“_** **Ah. Pietro.”** Billy chose that moment to interject.

He looked at the boy. **“Yeah, Billy?”**

**“Um, Where’s the book?”** he asked inquiringly. 

_Oh shit! He forgot the book._

**“Yeah, about that….”** He sheepishly stammered.


End file.
